October Question of the Month 💭 Join the conversation and receive a badge

Ken Armstrong

Going to Iraq in 2003!

Rebeca S.

Ziplining over a river! I kept on second guessing my decision to do it until the last moment while waiting in line, but once it was my turn, and I got to experience it, I had a great time. It's such an amazing way to enjoy nature from an entirely new perspective 😄

Carrie Barnett

Looking over the edge, straight down, while on a high structure - it used to scare me until I decided it was mind over matter - the structure I was on was sound, and the view was amazing!

Alison Clancy

Swimming with leopard sharks! I did not want to do it in any universe and was so anxious beforehand, even after hearing they were chill and not into eating humans. However, after swimming around with them in the murky water all morning, I was so amped up from the adrenaline and proud of myself for pushing past the fear.

*dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun* 🦈

Cassi

I think the one thing that helped me build my shell and step out of my comfort zone was to stand up to the bullying in the workplace. I had a horrible experience in a position and it affected my health, family, marriage, and work. I faced my fear and spoke out about the mistreatment and toxicity in the workplace. Once I stepped forward it was like I gave a voice to those who feared it on their own. I had 56 other staff members step up and share their experiences with this group. It was the scariest part of my life but because I had the support from my family and friends I knew I could do it. Now that I am in this new role and with amazing people I find to be so much happier! Sometimes you have to fear the unknown to make a change, you never know if you are the rock someone needs to face theirs!

DesireeJones

Hello SmartSheet Community!

One thing that I recently did that scared me was leaving my job after being with the same company for 5 years.

I started to work for UPS in 2018 and thought that I had to stay with the company until I retire, just like everyone else. I thought that the toxic work culture and militaristic work environment was something that was part of the corporate norm. I thought I could change the culture and environment from the bottom up, but it took more out of me than I thought it would.

Since 2 weeks ago, I left UPS and am now thriving at a different company that has a significant impact on the world from a research and development perspective. My new team and company as a whole has welcomed me with open arms and more opportunities!

Even though I left UPS after 5 years, I wouldn't have got where I am now if it wasn't for the past opportunities I was offered! Yet another reminder that the grass is greener where you water it! :)

Thank you!

jan aelbrecht

What scared me in the beginning was presenting presentation for a large audience.

But after a few times it goes better and I'm glad I just did it and did not care about what could go wrong.

Nienke

Ah, the daunting realm of Public Speaking! It haunted my dreams like a caffeinated ghost monkey playing bongo drums in the dark. The very idea of standing before a crowd turned my stomach into a trampoline for nervous butterflies. But one day, with a carefully crafted speech and a dash of courage, I took the plunge. To my surprise, the audience didn't throw rotten tomatoes; they nodded approvingly. It turns out, conquering the fear of public speaking was like taming a dragon that turned out to be a misunderstood balloon animal.

kowal

jumping from really really high into cenote when in Mexico some years ago.

Itai Perez

Teaching online and teaching in general always seemed scary but it was worth trying as it is great fun!

Mohala

Public speaking is terrifying; I hate being the center of attention, and while at a work conference, I was asked to present something. This was not rehearsed, but the topic was well within my wheelhouse. After several hours of playing out the worst-case scenario, I got up on stage and did the thing. When it was over, I was so relieved. I also realized that public speaking is that bad when you have only a few hours to freak out beforehand. 😅

cvarela

Overcoming the fear of roles above mine (i.e. Director vs PM) thinking that I have no right or expertise to contribute when they are in the conversation.

Lauri Accardi

Being an introvert, I have been scared about most new adventures that I take on until I jump right in. It has allowed me to help all of my direct reports and my peers in my MBA program while also allowing me to continue to add value to myself and my career in the pursuit of constantly pushing myself. I tend to follow my instincts, and if something makes me a little uneasy and my nature is to try to avoid jumping in, then I am more likely going to go towards it to push myself and see what I can accomplish.

melissa.garcia

Heights. I was scared of being on top of anything tall where I could look down and fear the worst (falling). It wasn't until I was a pyrotechnician (at a theme park) that we were tasked to rappel down a quarry cliff to add pyro up and down the quarry wall EVERY SUMMER NIGHT! Half the scary part of being afraid of heights for me was not knowing the amount/knowledge of the safety equipment being used, building trust in my team, and being trained and reminded on what to do in case something went wrong. One year after my first rappel down the cliff, I was one of the trainers for the new pyrotechnicians on the ups and downs of repelling down the quarry cliff with pyrotechnics at your hips. I no longer rappel down quarry cliffs but I can confidently say I am no longer afraid of heights.

Erin Irick

Using Smartsheet automations! haha! It seemed a bit intimidating at first because I didn't realize just how user friendly it was going to be. But now I've created probably hundreds of automations and am a "go-to" person to help others on our team with all things Smartsheet - including those automation workflows!

On a personal level I'd say flying. I never flew in a plane until I was in my 20s. I remember how nervous I was that first time thinking "how do these things even get off the ground?". Little did I know I'd become a world traveler in my 30s! 😀 9 countries and counting - and ready to see so many more!